Thursday, July 29, 2010

On July 29, 2010, the students from the summer mini arts camp attended their last day. The mini-arts camp has come to an end, they all will say goodbye with one last performance. All of their families were invited to attend a small gathering at the Cook Art Center lobby. This is where all their art work will be displayed for the parents to look at. There were snacks for them to enjoy along with a dance performance that both groups had worked on throughout the camp. The mini arts camp ended with a smile on everyone’s faces!

Written by Connie and Chelsea who are high school students interning at the Cook Arts Center through Project COOL this summer.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The fun continues this week with Summer Mini Arts Camp at the Cook Arts Center. On July 28th the students participated in two fun classes. The first was the "Art of Cooking" with Ms. Mari from the YMCA. In addition to a fun cooking project this week, the students also talked about healthy exercise habits. They even played a game that taught them the correct way to do push-ups and arm circles.In addition, students also had a great time with Mr. Jerry who brought in a ton of wooden cubes for a mixed media project. The students got very creative and made everything from a giant robot to a wall hanging with special art-related messages using the letters on the cubes.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Top readers in the Cook Library Center's Summer Reading Club are alsotop athletes! Students who have been high readers this summer took atrip to Clemente Park to play soccer. Great sportsmanship and greatathletic ability was shown by all!

Friday, July 23, 2010

On Thursday, July 22, the students of the mini-arts camp participated in the art class where they would put all their creativity into masks of their own. They also got to enjoy a dance class where they warmed up by acting as animals for the weekly theme. This week's theme was "Amazing Animals". They kept adding moves into their dance which will be performed at the end of the camp at an arts festival and celebration on Thursday, July 29. On this day all the parents that wish to attend will come and get a chance to see a wonderful performance by some of their own children. They will also get a chance to check out all the art work done by their children and others.

- Written by Chelsea and Connie are high school students interning with theCook Arts Center this summer through the Project COOL program.

Monday, July 19, 2010

During the week of July 12th, students in the Career Exploration class atthe Cook Library Center explored the human body to get a glimpse of thelife of a doctor. They learned about the organs and their functions, theysaw close-up photos of different cells and organs, and learned about thedifferent types of doctors.

In addition, this week top readers visited the Grand Rapids Art Museum.One library student went back to the library after the field trip and studiedabout our Docent's favorite piece of art in the museum. It's called "TheBroken Mast" by Mathias J. Alten. She read the book and looked at thepictures for over an hour!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

On Wednesday, July 14 the younger students of the mini-artscamp got a chance to make some delicious Apple Pie in a Cup.During the cooking class, the students learned about the foodpyramid. This week they learned about the milk group of thefood pyramid. They learned what foods are healthy from thisgroup and how many servings they should have in one day.

Meanwhile, the older children from the mini-arts camp enjoyeda game of Michigan bingo. At the end of the game they all wereawarded prizes. After a wonderful game of bingo, the childrengot a chance to decorate a t-shirt.

- Written by Chelsea and Connie are high school studentsinterning with the Cook Arts Center this summer through theProject COOL program.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

On Thursday, July 8, we wrapped up our third week of summer mini arts camp with a terrific art project led by artist Erick Pichardo. The student created people figures out paper towel rolls, construction paper and other assorted craft items. The results were fantastic!

The students were also able to relax and have fun in a dance class taught by Kelly Malinowski. They worked on a routine which will be performed at our fiesta and celebration on the last day of mini arts camp later this month.Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs of the Cook Arts Center.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

During the day of July 6, the older children attending theMini-Arts Camp got the chance to learn about Surrealism andRealism. Ms. Nancy, who teaches the theater class, providedthem with the opportunity to experience different activities.One of the activities involved the older children acting outscenes which would be corrected by a child picked by theteacher.

Meanwhile, the younger children were out in the garden withMs.Noemi where they pulled weeds and tended to the Cook ArtsCenter's vegetable garden. They learned the difference betweenthe plants and weeds. They also learned what the weeds do tothe plants when they surround them. At the end of the day, thechildren was able to take some of the mint plants home with them.

- Written by Chelsea and Connie are high school studentsinterning with the Cook Arts Center this summer through theProject COOL program.

Friday, July 2, 2010

On Thursday, July 1, the top readers in the Cook Library Center's summer reading clubearned the opportunity to go on a field trip to the Public Museum of Grand Rapids.A great time was had by all. Additionally, it was the first time for many of thestudents to have visited the museum. It was a great opportunity for all of the studentsto experience the rich history of our area.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Week two of the Cook Arts Center's summer mini arts camp is focused on Going Green! We've done a variety activities this week including theatre games around the names of the Great Lakes, crossword puzzles with earth-friendly terms like "recycling", and working in our vegetable garden so that we can soon cook with our own veggies! This week's session will wrap up today with dance and visual arts classes. Next week's theme: Adventureland!